Roller-skate.



E. W. WHITE.

ROLLER SKATE. APPLiOATION FILED MAR. 14, 1908.

Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

EDWARD w. WHITE, or cIIIoAeo, ILLINOIS.

ROLLER-snare.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

Application filed March 14, 1908. Serial No. 421,142.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. WHI E, a citizen of the United States, residing atChicago, in the county of Cook and'State of Illi- 1101s, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Roller-Skates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in roller skates, and is fully described and explained in the specification and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device, a portion of the frame-work adjacent to the rear wheels or rollers being broken away in a central vertical section; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the skate; Fig. 3 is a section in the line 3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 isa transverse section in the line 4. of Fig; 1.

Referring to the drawings A is a base plate upon which rests the foot of theuser, the same being provided with the usual means for securing the same to the foot, this means being (in the form of device here illustrated) a key-operated clamp at the front and a strap at the rear. It will of course be obvious that any other means for securing the base-plate to the foot or shoe. can be adopted according to common practice in the art, the skate attaching means forming no part of my present invention. Brackets b, b are secured to the base-plate A, the same being arranged in pairs at front and rear and each bracket having a horizontal portion secured to the base-plate and a vertical portion extending downward therefrom; the vertical portion of the brackets b being longer than those of the brackets b as illustrated, and the two brackets I) being placed adjacent to each other, so that the bracket 5 is the rear one of the front pair and the forward one of the rear pair. The aforesaid brackets are provided in their vertical portions with vertically extending slots, through which extend longitudinal and vertically movable pins B. Between each pair 'of brackets b, b and above the ins B supported therebetween, is placed a b ock of rubber or other resilient material C, the lower surface of which is channeled out to receive and fit the corresponding pin.

Two swivel-heads D are pivotally supported by the corresponding pin B. The construction of the swivelheads will be readily understood by reference to the drawings, from which it will be seen provided, each that each comprises a cylindrical barrel d provided at its upper end with a flat late d and at its lower end with a downwar ly projecting pin (1 The plate d is provided at front and rear with upwardly extending ears.

d which surround the corres onding pin B, lying to thefront and rear 0 the block C of rubber or resilient material, and it is likewise rovided at the side with two smaller ears 4 which lie to the two sides of the block C to prevent the lateral dis lacement thereof. It will be evident that by this construction, the swivel-head D is provided with a bearing whereby it can be swung laterally about the pin B as a center and that the.

block C is so arranged as to resist resiliently any upward ressure which may be exerted by the swive -head D, the slots in the brackets b, b permitting a limited vertical movement of'the pinagainst the compression of the resilient block 0. Upon the downwardly projecting pin d of each swivel-head D is journaled an axle plane about said pin as axle supports at its ends form. v

The rear axle E a center, and said rollers F of usual notch provided in the corresponding bracket 6 at the lower end of said bracket, while the forward axle E has a similar rearwardly extending pin, engaging with a corresponding notch in the forward bracket 1). As a result of this construction it will be seen that the entire weight of the user is sustained by the resilient block C and any shock must be transmitted through said block to reach the base-plate A upon which the foot rests. As a result, a skate is provided which is cushioned in its action and with which the user is to a large extent freed from the annoyance, jar and vibration common in skates of usual construction. Furthermore, the device can be readily and perfectly steered by leaning the body to one side or the other in the usual manner. If for instance, the right hand side of the base-plate as viewed in Fig. 3 be pressed downward by the user leaning his weight to one side, the bracket 1) willbe moved at its lower end toward the left with the result that the right-hand roller of the two shown will move forward relatively, while the one to the left will move backward, the same movement of the base-plate will roduce a reversed movement of the front ax e, so that the axles will be set in proper position for E rotatable in a horizontal is provided with a forwardly projecting pin e adapted to lie in a plied, say to the right side of the skate for turning to the right, the forward right hand roller will move backward and the forward left hand roller forward, while the backward right hand roller will move forward, and the left-hand backward roller backward, so that the rollers will tend to describe a curve in running upon a smooth surface. The device is thus not only provided with a perfectly cushioned set of rollers, but it has a simple and eflicient steering mechanism fully under the control of the user in the simplest manner.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of construction of my improved device, without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do, not intend, therefore, to limit myself to the specific form herein shown and described.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a base-plate and axles carrying rollers and adapted to support the base-plate, of a resilient support in terposed between the axles and the base plate and arranged to carry the entire weight thrown upon the base plate, and means whereby the oscillation of the base-plate with respect to the plane of the axles will rotate said axles in opposite directions for steering purposes.

2. The combination with a base plate of two longitudinally extending pivots substantially parallel to the base-plate and bodily movable in a vertical direction with respect resilient cushions interposed be tween said pivots and the base-plate and arranged upon the base-plate, swivel-heads pivoted to said pivots and oscillatable laterally about the same centers, axles pivotally supported by the swivel-heads and carrying rollers at their ends, and means oscillation of the swivel-heads shall rotate the axles in opposite directions.

3. The combination with a l. ase- )late, of two pairs of vertically slotted brackets secured to and projecting downward from the base-plate, the rear bracket of the front pair and the front bracket of the rear pair having openings near their lower ends, shafts supported in the slots of said brackets and extending longitudinally of the base-plate and vertically movable with respeet thereto, resilient cushions interposed between the said shafts and base-plate, swivel-heads pivoted to said shafts and having a bearing upon the resilient cushions whereby they are normally held in central position, axles journaled to the swivel-heads and carrying rollers at their ends, and a rearward projection on the front axle and a forward projection on the rear axle engaging openings in the eorrespoinling brackets, whereby oscillation of the baseplate with respect to the plane of the axles will rotate the axles to steer the skate.

Chicago March, 1908.

EDWARD W. WllllE.

In presence of L. HEIsLAR, R. SCIIAEFER.

to support the entire weight thrown whereby the lateral i 

